Volcanic Eruption Kills 10 In Eastern Indonesia

Local Officials in Eastern Indonesia have confirmed the death of at least 10 people following a Volcanic Eruption in the early hours of Monday.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, located on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted at 23:57 local time, according to the Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMG).

Hadi Wijaya, a PVMG spokesperson, said fiery lava and rocks had hit the villages about 4km (two miles) from the crater, burning and damaging residents’ houses.

According to local officials, the eruption has affected seven villages.

PVMG has raised the status of the volcano to the highest alert level, warning that a 7km (four-mile) radius from the crater must be cleared.

Video footage shared with BBC News by eyewitnesses shows people covered in volcanic ash, rock showers and homes ablaze, as well as the scorched aftermath of the disruption.

A spokesperson from Indonesia’s disaster agency warned of potential flash floods and cold lava flows in the coming days.

They added that the local government had declared a state of emergency for the next 58 days, meaning the central government could help provide aid to 10,000 affected residents.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates.

Sunday’s eruption follows a series of eruptions in the region. In May, a volcano on the island of Halmahera, Mount Ibu, led to seven villages being evacuated.